Negative pressure wound therapy device

ABSTRACT

A wound therapy device and a kit for same with a housing material, a gasket disposed around at least a portion of the housing material, a non-woven absorption material, and a port. The gasket is sized and configured such that at least a first portion of the gasket will be adhered to a second portion of the gasket upon a folding of the housing material. A method of using a wound therapy device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/762,149 filed Apr. 16, 2010 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/212,947 filed on Apr. 17, 2009, the entirety of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates, in general, to a device and method for wound therapy that is capable of treating a variety of chronic and acute wound types, including, but not limited to, infection wounds, venous ulcers, arterial ulcers, diabetic ulcers, burn wounds, post amputation wounds, surgical wounds, and the like. Specifically, the present disclosure is related to wound treatment devices for a wound, for example, on a foot and methods that utilize a negative pressure therapy device for treatment of same.

BACKGROUND

Negative pressure therapy has been one method used for the treatment of a variety of wounds by practitioners in the art. Conventional negative pressure therapy devices are generally large in size and often require the use of complicated equipment such as suction pumps, vacuum pumps and complex electronic controllers. Additionally, U.S. Patent Pre-Grant Publication Nos. 2007/0265585 and 2007/0265586, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference, also disclose negative pressure therapy devices.

Since the negative pressure therapy devices utilize negative pressure, it is desirable to minimize the opportunity for leaks in same, so as to prevent increased damage to the patient and/or wound, or unnecessarily prolonged damage to the patient and/or wound.

With respect to a wound located on a foot, there are specific drawbacks involving the time needed to deploy a conventional negative pressure wound therapy device. In addition, due to the shape of a foot, obtaining a satisfactory seal over the wound can be problematic and contribute to the increased time needed to deploy a conventional negative pressure wound therapy device.

Other wound locations on a patient's body may present drawbacks and problems similar to those associated with a wound on a foot. Therefore, nothing in this description should be meant to restrict the present invention to be used only with a wound on a foot. Rather, as would be appreciate by one of ordinary skill in the art, the benefits of the present invention can be appreciated and utilized through use of with any wound that is susceptible to negative pressure wound treatment.

While current negative pressure wound therapy devices are presumably effective for their intended purposes, there is a need for a device that allows a medical professional flexibility in placing the negative pressure wound therapy device, so as to provide the patient with a comfortable and efficient treatment.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Generally, a negative pressure wound therapy device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing material having a first side and a second side, a gasket disposed on the first side of the housing material, an adhesive disposed on the first side of the housing material, a port disposed through the housing material, a liner disposed on the adhesive, a non-woven absorption material, and, a wound interface layer surrounding the non-woven absorption material.

The port may be configured to prevent exudates from flowing through the port towards the pump (which supplies the negative pressure).

The gasket is sized and configured such that when the housing material is folded back upon itself to surround a wound on an appendage, at least a first portion of the gasket is adhered to a second portion of the gasket.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a kit for a negative pressure wound therapy device including a housing material having a first side and a second side, a gasket disposed on the first side of the housing material, an adhesive disposed on the first side of the housing material, a port disposed through the housing material, and a liner disposed on the adhesive. The kit may also include a non-woven absorption material that can be secured to the housing by the adhesive and disposed on a wound after removal of the liner.

The kit may also include a wound interface layer to be disposed between the non-woven absorption material and the wound.

Alternatively, the kit may further include a wound interface layer surrounding the non-woven absorption material.

The kit may also include a second liner disposed on first side of the housing material.

The kit further may include a stiffener disposed on second side of the housing material.

In another embodiment the port may be configured to prevent exudates from flowing through the port.

In still another embodiment, the kit may include tubing and a pump.

In another embodiment of the invention, the invention provides a method of treating a wound with negative pressure wound therapy that includes the steps of disposing a non-woven absorption material above a wound, removing at least a portion of a liner from a housing material having a first side with an adhesive and a port disposed through the housing material, positioning the housing material around an appendage of the patient having the wound, folding the housing material, positioning the port adjacent the non-woven absorption material, sealing the housing material to the appendage, and, applying negative pressure to the wound.

The method may further include the step of disposing a wound interface layer in between the non-woven absorption material and the wound.

The method may include wherein the housing material is sealed to the appendage such that a first portion of the gasket is adhered to a second portion of the gasket. Additionally, a third portion of the gasket may be adhered to a fourth portion of the gasket.

The method may further include wherein the step of disposing the wound interface layer in between the non-woven absorption material and the wound includes the step of surrounding the non-woven absorption material with the wound interface layer.

The method may further include removing a second liner and/or a stiffener from the housing material.

The method may also include folding the housing material such that a portion of the housing material is folded onto a second portion of the housing material.

The folding of the housing material may be in a direction that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the appendage, or it may be in a direction that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the appendage.

The method may include removing at least a portion of a liner from a housing material includes removing all of the liner.

The method may also include collecting and retaining exudates within the non-woven absorption material.

The method may further include preventing exudates from flowing through the port.

A device and method as described herein is believed to provide a variety of benefits to aid in the treatment of a wound with negative pressure wound therapy.

First, such a device and method would provide for a device to be applied with a multitude of configurations when compared with conventional devices that come completely pre-arranged. In other words, a medical professional is able to determine the best location for the wound interface layer and non-woven absorption material and position those portions of the devices separate and apart from the housing material with the port. This will increase the ability to utilize such a device and method on wounds that, because of the location of the wound, are difficult to effectively treat with negative pressure wound therapy.

In addition, the design is believed to provide an improved seal compared with some of the negative pressure wound therapy devices that are currently commercially available. The improved seal results in less time needed to confirm that the device has obtained overall satisfactory seal and less time adjusting the device to eliminate gaps and other spaces that allow negative pressure to dissipate and result in the device performing with a reduced efficiency.

In addition, since the device includes the gasket and the non-woven absorption material, the device can be used with a pump that is much smaller than conventionally used pumps. This is because the non-woven absorption material absorbs the exudates. Therefore, the pump does not need a large container to collect the exudates. In addition, since the device provides a satisfactory seal, the pump can be operated with small batteries, such as AA batteries.

Other benefits of the present invention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art with this disclosure and the attached drawings before them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that the accompanying drawings depict only typical embodiments, and are, therefore, not to be considered to be limiting of the scope of the present disclosure, the embodiments will be described and explained with specificity and detail in reference to the accompanying drawings as provided below.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another top perspective view of a device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is another top perspective view of a device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another top perspective view of a device according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the Figures herein could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of various embodiments, as represented in the Figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but is merely representative of various embodiments. While the various aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

As shown in the attached drawings, a negative pressure wound therapy device 10 for treating a wound on, for example, a foot 12 according to one or more embodiments of the present includes a housing material 14 with a first side 16 and a second side 18. The housing material 14 is flexible such that it can be folded. In addition, it should be comprised of a material that will allow negative pressure to be provided to a wound disposed underneath the housing material 14.

Around at least a portion of the periphery 20 of the first side 16 housing material 14 is a gasket 22.

It is preferred that the gasket 22 is a hydro-gel material. Incorporated herein by reference is U.S. Pre Grant Publication No. 2009/0299251, assigned to the applicant, that provides additional details and disclosure regarding the use of a gasket in a negative pressure wound therapy device.

The gasket 22 is sized and configured such that when the housing material is folded back upon itself to surround a wound on an appendage, at least a first portion 100 of the gasket 22 is adhered to a second portion 102 of the gasket 22. If the appendage is a foot 12, for example, a third portion 104 of the gasket 22 may also be adhered to a fourth portion 106 of the gasket 22. In other words, on both sides of the foot 12, the gasket 22 adheres to itself when the housing material 14 is folded to surround the wound on an appendage.

The gasket 22 has a thickness, and it is contemplated that the thickness of the gasket 22, for example, is between 3 to 5 mils and the width of the gasket 22 is approximately ⅜ of an inch.

In one embodiment of the invention the gasket 22 may be a hydrogel. Such materials are currently available from Katecho, in Des Moines, Iowa (USA). It is preferred that the gasket 22 be a material that be biocompatible with skin. In addition the gasket 22 material should mildly adhere to the skin, but not adhere to the skin in the same manner as the adhesive on the housing material 14. In addition, the gasket 22 material should be mildly flowable. Furthermore, the gasket 22 material should be non-reactive to normal medical device sterility processes. Another contemplated material is a silicone gel; however, it is currently believed to be too cost prohibitive to utilize the silicone gel.

It is contemplated that one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other shapes and designs of the housing material 14 and gasket 22 could be used. In addition, it is contemplated that other configurations of the gasket 22 could be used. For example, the gasket 22 could be comprised of a plurality of pieces arranged such that some of the pieces will adhere to other pieces when the housing material is folded.

An adhesive (not shown) is also located on at least a portion of the first side 16 of the housing material 14.

The wound therapy device 10 also includes a port 24 that allows the device 10 to communicate with a pump 60 via tubing 62. The port 24 is configured so that it projects outward of the second side 18 of the housing material 14. It is preferred, but not required, that the pump 60 be a pump such as those described in U.S. Pat. Pre Grant Publication No. 2009/0299306, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is contemplated that the port 24 is configured to prevent exudates and/or liquids removed from the wound from flowing through the port 24 and contaminating the pump 60.

Before use, the device 10 is stored with a liner 30 disposed on the first side 16 of the housing material 14. It is preferred that the liner 30 include a first portion 32 and a second portion 34. Disposed on the second side 18 of the housing 14 may be a stiffener 36 to provide the device 10 with temporary rigidity. The stiffener 36 may be removably attached to the second side of the housing 14 with an adhesive and functions to provide the flexible housing material 14 with some rigidity.

Separate from the housing material 14, the wound therapy device 10 (and kit for same) also includes a non-woven absorption material 26. The non-woven absorption material 26 will absorb liquids and exudates from the wound and it will facilitate communication of negative pressure from the port 24 to the wound. The non-woven absorption material 26 may comprise any number of different materials that are capable of absorbing the liquid and exudates removed from the wounds, while at the same time allowing negative pressure to be communicated to the wound from the pump 60.

The device 10 (and kit) also includes a wound interface layer 28. The wound interface layer 28 may be, for example Silverlon®. The wound interface layer 28 may surround the non-woven absorption material 26 so that it forms one piece. Alternatively, the wound interface layer 28 may be provided as a completely separate piece.

The wound interface layer 28 and non-woven absorption material 26 are included in the kit, but separate from the housing material 14 with liner 30. In other words, the wound interface layer 28 and non-woven absorption material 26 are not attached to the housing material 14. Unlike conventional devices and kits, this configuration will allow the wound interface layer 28 and non-woven absorption material 26 to be positioned independent of the housing material 14. In turn, this will allow for an unlimited amount of different configurations.

The device 10 (and kit) will now be described in relation to a method of using same.

A physician or other person will position the non-woven absorption material 26 above the wound on, for example, a foot 12. A second piece (not shown) of non-woven absorption material 26 can be used if the wound is disposed in a position that would result in the port being in a position that is uncomfortable for the patient, or could easily be damaged. The non-woven absorption material 26 will allow for the communication of negative pressure from the pump 60 to the wound, and therefore, it should be placed and arranged such that it extends from the wound to the port 24. This also allows for configurations where the port 24 is to be placed a distance from the wound.

Prior to placement of the non-woven absorption material 26, the wound interface layer 28 may be positioned between the wound and non-woven absorption material 26. In the embodiments where the wound interface layer 28 surrounds the non-woven absorption material 26, this step will occur upon the placement of the non-woven absorption material 26.

After placement of the non-woven absorption material 26, the first portion 32 of the liner 30 may be removed. Alternatively, if a liner 30 comprising a single piece is used, only a portion of the liner 30 is preferably removed.

The patient's foot 12 may then be placed on the device 10. The second portion 34 of the liner 30 may then be removed. Again, if a singularly pieced liner 30 is used, the remaining portion of the liner 30 can be removed. Alternatively, the entire liner may be removed.

The device 10 may then be folded onto itself to seal around the wound, so that a first portion 200 of the housing material 14 is folded back onto a second portion 202 of a housing material 14. It is preferred that the folding be relatively perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the patient's foot 12, but it could also be parallel with the longitudinal axis of the foot 12 and still be within the scope of the present invention. Again, in order to allow for communication of negative pressure from the pump 60 to the wound, it is necessary that the port 24 be disposed above a portion of the non-woven absorption material 26.

As mentioned above, with the folding of the housing material, at least a first portion 100 of the gasket 22 will be folded back onto a second portion 102 of the gasket 22 and adhered thereto. And, a third portion 104 of the gasket 22 may also be folded back and adhered to a fourth portion 106 of the gasket 22. This is believed to allow the device to provide sufficient negative pressure to the wound and provide a sufficient seal of the device.

The stiffener 36 may then be removed and any excess portions of the housing material 14 may be folded, for example, under the foot 12. The port 24 may be connected with tubing 62 to the pump 60. The pump 60 will provide negative pressure which will remove exudates and liquid from the wound. The liquid and exudates will be absorbed and retained in the non-woven absorption material 26.

Without further elaboration, it is believed that one skilled in the art can use the preceding description to utilize the present disclosure to its fullest extent. The examples and embodiments disclosed herein are to be construed as merely illustrative and not a limitation of the scope of the present disclosure in any way. It will be apparent to those having skill in the art that changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the disclosure provided herein. In other words, various modifications and improvements of the embodiments specifically disclosed in the description above are within the scope of the appended claims. Note that elements recited in means-plus-function format are intended to be construed in accordance with 35 U.S.C. §112 ¶6. The scope of the invention is therefore defined by the following claims. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of treating a wound on an appendage with negative pressure wound therapy, comprising: positioning a layer of adhesive gasket around a circumference of an appendage, the adhesive gasket comprising a plurality of pieces; placing a non-woven material over the wound on the appendage, the non-woven material configured to communicate negative pressure to the wound; positioning a flexible housing material over the appendage, wherein the flexible housing material is configured to allow negative pressure to be provided to the wound underneath the flexible housing material; folding the flexible housing material to form a fold such that the housing becomes sealed to the appendage, wherein the fold is generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the appendage; forming a hole in the flexible housing material; and applying negative pressure to the hole in the flexible housing material.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible housing material further comprises an adhesive coating.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising attaching a port to the flexible housing material, the port positioned over the hole.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gasket comprises a hydrogel.
 5. A method of treating a wound on a foot with negative pressure wound therapy, comprising: applying a negative pressure wound therapy device to the foot, wherein the negative pressure wound therapy device comprises a non-woven material placed into contact with the wound and a flexible housing material folded over the foot so that a first portion of the flexible housing material is folded back onto a second portion of the housing material, wherein the first portion of the flexible housing material forms a seal with an upper surface of the foot using hydrogel gasket material applied to an upper surface of the foot, and the second portion of the flexible housing material forms a seal with a lower surface of the foot using hydrogel gasket material applied to a lower surface of the foot; and applying negative pressure to the wound on the foot through a hole formed in the flexible housing material.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising attaching a port to the hole formed in the flexible housing material.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the hole is adjacent to the non-woven material. 